Zuhören Present Tense Conjugation in German

The present tense of zuhören — “to listen” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for zuhören, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “I listen to the teacher in class.”

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for zuhören, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Present Tense conjugation of zuhören

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for zuhören. zuhören is irregular in the present, so learn the forms in the table as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive.

Present (Präsens) — zuhören

Person Form
ich höre zu
du hörst zu
er/sie/es hört zu
wir hören zu
ihr hört zu
sie/Sie hören zu

The present participle of zuhören is zuhörend and the past participle is zugehört. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the present tense of zuhören is formed

The present tense of zuhören does not follow the regular pattern, so the stem-and-endings description is only a starting point: ich → höre zu, du → hörst zu, er/sie/es → hört zu, wir → hören zu, ihr → hört zu, sie/Sie → hören zu. Learn these six forms as a set — they are the forms you will use most often, and the subjunctive and imperative are built on them. zuhören is separable: the prefix zu splits off in the present tense and goes to the end of the clause — “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.”. In the infinitive and the participle the prefix stays attached (zuhören, zugehört).

When to use the present tense of zuhören

1. Habits and routines

Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with zuhören: “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “I listen to the teacher in class.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with zuhören: “Du hörst dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “You listen to the teacher in class.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with zuhören: “Er hört dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “He listens to the teacher in class.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with zuhören: “Wir hören dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “We listen to the teacher in class.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

5. Narration and instructions

Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with zuhören: “Sie hören dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “They listen to the teacher in class.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: zuhören now, zuhören later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present: “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “I listen to the teacher in class.”

  • Future: “Ich werde dem Lehrer im Unterricht zuhören.” — “I will listen to the teacher in class.”

  • Present: “Du hörst dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “You listen to the teacher in class.”

  • Future: “Du wirst dem Lehrer im Unterricht zuhören.” — “You will listen to the teacher in class.”

  • Present: “Wir hören dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “We listen to the teacher in class.”

  • Future: “Wir werden dem Lehrer im Unterricht zuhören.” — “We will listen to the teacher in class.”

Example sentences: zuhören in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of zuhören, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “I listen to the teacher in class.”
  • “Du hörst dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “You listen to the teacher in class.”
  • “Er hört dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “He listens to the teacher in class.”
  • “Wir hören dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “We listen to the teacher in class.”
  • “Ihr hört dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “You listen to the teacher in class.”
  • “Sie hören dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.” — “They listen to the teacher in class.”

Common mistakes with zuhören in the present tense

1. Forgetting to split the separable prefix

✗ Wrong: “Ich zuhören dem Lehrer im Unterricht.” (prefix left attached to the stem)

✓ Right: “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.”

zuhören is separable: in the present tense the prefix zu goes to the end of the clause.

2. Mixing up the persons

✗ Wrong: “Du höre zu dem Lehrer im Unterricht.”

✓ Right: “Du hörst dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.”

After du you need hörst zu, not the ich form höre zu. Each person has its own ending.

3. Using the future for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich werde dem Lehrer im Unterricht zuhören.”

✓ Right: “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.”

A habit that happens every day takes the present (höre zu), not the future.

4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now

✗ Wrong: “Ich hörte dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.”

✓ Right: “Ich höre dem Lehrer im Unterricht zu.”

Something happening right now takes the present (höre zu), not the Präteritum.

Quiz: zuhören in the present tense

  1. What is the ich form of zuhören in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) höre zu
    • B) hört zu
    • C) hörst zu
    • D) hören zu

  2. What is the du form of zuhören in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) hören zu
    • B) hört zu
    • C) hörst zu
    • D) höre zu

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of zuhören in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) hört zu
    • B) hörst zu
    • C) höre zu
    • D) hören zu

  4. What is the wir form of zuhören in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) hörst zu
    • B) hört zu
    • C) hören zu
    • D) höre zu

  5. What is the ihr form of zuhören in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) hörst zu
    • B) höre zu
    • C) hören zu
    • D) hört zu

  6. What is the sie/Sie form of zuhören in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) hört zu
    • B) höre zu
    • C) hören zu
    • D) hörst zu

  7. What is the past participle of zuhören?

    • A) hörte zu
    • B) zugehört
    • C) zuhörend
    • D) höre zu

  8. Which auxiliary does zuhören take in the Perfekt?

    • A) werden
    • B) sein
    • C) haben

Answer key

  1. A) höre zu — the ich form of zuhören in the present tense is höre zu.
  2. C) hörst zu — the du form of zuhören in the present tense is hörst zu.
  3. A) hört zu — the er/sie/es form of zuhören in the present tense is hört zu.
  4. C) hören zu — the wir form of zuhören in the present tense is hören zu.
  5. D) hört zu — the ihr form of zuhören in the present tense is hört zu.
  6. C) hören zu — the sie/Sie form of zuhören in the present tense is hören zu.
  7. B) zugehört — the past participle of zuhören is zugehört; the Perfekt uses haben + zugehört.
  8. C) haben — zuhören takes haben in the Perfekt: habe zugehört.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of zuhören formed?

From the stem plus the present endings: ich → höre zu, du → hörst zu, er/sie/es → hört zu, wir → hören zu, ihr → hört zu, sie/Sie → hören zu. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is zuhören regular in the present tense?

No — zuhören is irregular in the present tense, so learn the table above as a set. The other tenses are listed on the full conjugation page.

What is the past participle of zuhören?

The past participle is zugehört. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe zugehört, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte zugehört.

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